


Vera forma ingenia

by AsheeChaos



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-01
Packaged: 2019-02-25 23:59:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13223958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsheeChaos/pseuds/AsheeChaos





	1. Chapter 1

I was alone. My parents gone. Gone forever. I knew.  
The room was cold. And small.  
There were no exits.  
No space.

Until a way opened behind, giving me a way to run, to leave.  
I stumbled along the way, not looking where I was going.  
Until I fell over a threshold. Through a door.  
In a room.  
Robed men walked towards me, surrounding me.  
There were ominous hums, there were strange smells all around me, and dissonant, tiny screams.  
They came ever closer, a hand was put on my head. The dissonance grew bigger.  
I felt the warmth on my head, and the heaviness, then an old voice said: “You are a very powerful witch, you need to hone your skills”  
I was shaking shivering, the screams almost drowned out the last words: “For the greater good”

“SQUEEEEEAAA!!!”  
I twitched back. There had been a slap to my eye.  
Now I blinked and tried to focus, scrawling back further.  
“Squeaaaah. Squea,” I heard and my brain scrambled. And then… unscrambled a little.  
After I got my glasses, I looked again and… yeah. Well. There he was. My little friend.  
“Squeaaaaaaaaah~,” I picked his royal roundness up, petted him carefully with one finger.  
“I got nightmares again, didn’t I?,” he closed his slitted eyes, looking placated.  
“Kweeee…,” that meant he had settled down again, gathering his feet under his tiny-melon-shaped body.  
“Only you know when it is appropriate to put a foot in my eye, lil Enoch,” his eyes flared the tiniest bit at his name. Like it should, with any familiar.  
I petted him again. He tried his best.  
“You know… it wasn’t reaaaally a nightmare. Just a memory. A warped one. They did say I’d do great things, have ‘great power sleeping inside of me’. So… it’s not exactly a bad thing,” I wanted to point out.  
My frog looked entirely unimpressed. Even a little grumpy, rearranging his limbs under himself.  
“It’s not the stupid assessments fault that I haven’t manifested a single fireball yet. And suck at seeing into the future. Lightning only just burns me… and charges of magic items get depleted wen I try to load them,” I say, mirroring the downward-drawn corners of my familiars mouth. I simply wasn’t made for this.  
“You believe in me, right? Enoch? You totally think I can pull of one of the great spells, right?”  
He croaked at me. It sounded… squeaky? I was not sure.  
“You toootally do! Lets see… what could I possibly do all proper… mmmh… I know you preeeetty well, right? Soooo… I just have to concentrate reaaaally hard on just you,” which was no problem, really, I could concentrate on subjects, aura-reading was easy, great, 

“… then conjure up a bond,” once again, easy, he was my familiar, there was a magical bond already in place, like this it merely became recognisable, and Enoch looked uncomfortable, 

“… then recognise the dissonance between your form and your being,” again, easy, he was a familiar, he was fairly different from a normal frog, 

“…and theeeen let the magic flow!,” at which point I closed my eyes and tipped my finger on my lovely Enoch.

“ 'Vera forma ingenia!’ ” I intonated, throwing my hands in the air, to give room. It was an easy spell, at least memorisation-wise.

After a pause, I giggled. 

“Wouldn’t it be funny if I actually could do that? The greater healing transformations? Would be aaawesome”, I fell back onto the bed again, sighing. 

“It certainly is admirable”

…

This was said by a very deep voice. From my bed. 

I opened my eyes to stare at the ceiling. 

And felt my blanket getting drawn towards my frog. 

I blinked twice. Then looked towards him.

He had drawn a blanket over his lower regions. 

Because that was decent. 

He looked just as disgruntled as before. The difference was the very human face he was wearing.

“I did not believe in you that much”

I backed up against my headboard with a shriek.


	2. Chapter 2

My heart pounding, the unhappy face of the man and the solid headboard behind me calmed my nerves.   
It was incredible. This spell shouldn’t have worked. There actually was no way it did.   
It had to be a dream of some kind.   
And so I reached out and to touch his face.   
I twitched back again when I actually felt his skin.   
I could not stop staring. This was insane! It was a hell of a spell! It was actually a cross-level priest spell! It… I was quite definitely an arcane caster!   
I couldn’t… my first successful spell could not possibly be a cross-class spell of such a level!

“Incredulity is an embarrassing emotion. Please calm down. It is unworthy and displeases me”  
“You startled at your own voice!,” I blurted out, because that’s what I felt and I didn’t want to be blamed and it was another thing that was just insane. And I needed to say it. Needed to.   
“… yes,” he admitted, once again displeased.   
“So.. the empathic link still works? We still get the emotions of the other and…” I trailed off. This was just too insane.  
“… and I am your familiar. Your frog. Yes,” he nodded. Somehow, he managed to look exactly like my Enoch. Just as displeased and huffy. With maybe even more huffiness mixed in.  
“This is insane. You’re not supposed to become human. It’s not… human form is not meant to happen. It’s too advanced, it’s… this is NOT what I am supposed to be capable of. What YOU are supposed to be capable of!,” I was simply flabbergasted. The one spell that had worked - find familiar - and now… now my familiar was… was not an animal anymore.   
He sighed, and leaned over, putting a hand on my cheek. It was a big, a warm hand. And he said: “Asa. I think I have more reason to panic right now. So please calm down. For me”  
I opened my mouth to answer and then… clamped it shut, with a click of my teeth.  
That… that was entirely true.   
“… sorry,” I mumbled. And looked up at him.  
He was remarkably well put together.   
When I looked for more than thirty seconds, I also noticed how remarkably WELL he was… put… together.   
This was… he was a very… ah… human. And man.   
He was very much a man. A very shirtless one.   
Of… of presumably… African decent? Like… like the Desert rain frog that he was?   
So… this was a thing?  
I… my lovely familiar was now a big, well built, fluffy haired, bearded man. With freckles.   
…  
At least he kept his perpetual frown.   
That… was reassuring.   
It was less reassuring that I turned my familiar into a very attractive man.   
At least he was still… on speaking terms.   
…  
He was on speaking terms for the first time, actually.  
The joy I felt as soon as I flly realised, caught on to him and his frown deepened: “What now?!”  
“I can talk to you! Actually talk to you!,” my whole face lit up and I hugged him. Really hugged him. Or at least his side. He was too big to properly hug.   
“I… yes…” He still sounded put upon. But let me have this. Let my arms be where they are. Only protected his belly. Which… fair, that part was usually translucent.   
“How… how are you now? The… spell shouldn’t have harmed you. It is… meant to give you a form better suited for your being… so… is it… better suited?,” I didn’t mean for him to feel… bad. At all. I didn’t feel any distress, really, but animals are… not like humans.  
“Hrm,” he huffed. And moved his head from side to side. Then craned his neck- Back and forth. Then hunched his shoulders, drawing his head in, “This… this seems very unstable”  
“Oh,” I blinked, “Oh, that… that is… normal, though. Necks are normal. Not unstable. I know you didn’t have one, but… it’s… easier to look around,” I frowned a little. I… had only been transformed into a squirrel before and that… that had worked without a hitch. Somehow. Had climbed a tree and everything.   
Enoch started to turn his head, slightly, with his shoulders still hunched and- “No. I won’t”  
That certainly was a testament to him as a stubborn person. Which he always was. A frog-person, but a person nonetheless.  
“I… I think you… will, in a bit, but… if you don’t feel comfortable, uh… that’s fine, too,” I scratched my head. He was… looking a little ridiculous like that, shoulders drawn up to his ears and all.   
“Hrm,” there was some more straight up staring.   
“… how… how are you otherwise?,” I tried to stick with the theme, here.  
“… the hair is itchy,” he still frowned about this and… scratched his chest.   
Ah. Yes. He… he was somewhat hairy, but I… resisted the urge to tousle this hair. It was a ridiculous urge. And certainly had something to do with our empathic bond, certainly.   
“… you’ll get used to that, too, I think, humans do, when they get new hair, it’s just annoying for a bit,” puberty hadn’t been kind, but well…  
“It didn’t grow as slow as it did with you, though”   
… I was suddenly very embarrassed about the fact that I had called my familiar at the ripe age of eight years old. But that was another thing.  
“Well, true, but… you’ll still get used to it, do you otherwise feel… terrible in very substantial ways?,” because frog-trauma was still meant to be avoided.  
He looked at me for a long moment and then sighed, a long suffering sigh: “… no”  
“So, you’re fine?,” I sounded hopeful. Even to my own ears.  
“It is definitely a plus to be able to communicate with you. My thoughts are easier to keep in order as well. And opposable thumbs. They… really, grabbing things is… nice”, he tapped fingers and thumb together one by one.  
“Not a disaster, then?,” I started to smile.  
“No, no, I think it… you did well,” he petted my head.  
And I hugged him some more.  
And slept in just where I was.


	3. Chapter 3

I had no idea how long it took until I woke up again. Certainly, a clock would help.  
But it was a good thing that I immediately remembered what had happened.   
I had turned my familiar into a human being. With a high level spell.   
A high level spell I should not have been able to do. At all.  
And now I leaned against my human-shaped familiar. Who simply sat there, staring.  
“… you have to blink, you know?,” I said. Because I was still worried.   
“I am aware. Frogs blink as well,” he nodded. And turned his whole body towards me. Because he didn’t move his neck. So he was serious about that, apparently.  
“… how in the world can you speak, but not turn your neck?,” because it still bothered me.   
“… … … speaking makes sense,” he said, but it sounded somewhat defiant.  
“You didn’t usually use a tongue for making noise before,” I rolled on my back and put my head on his thigh. It was quite comfortable. And I could look up into his face. Possibly made looking at me easier on his back, too.  
“… necks are unstable,” he said, frown deepening again.  
I put a finger to that frown: “They aren’t, you’ve seen me move mine all the time”  
“Yeah, and I’ve seen you get a crack in your neck. You complained about it. And I felt the pain. In my on non-existing neck,” the skin of more frowning bunched around my finger.   
So I pulled back and poked the same place, punctuating the sentence: “That’s. Just. Because. I don’t. Take Care. Of myself,” then I let my hand fall back down, “You hopefully will, so no problems there”  
He continued to look at me. Intently.  
“Did… did you just pull your eyebrow up?,” because that was… a feat.  
“It felt natural,” his mouth went down at that. Again.  
“… I have a sarcastic former frog, then,” I shook my head.  
“I think you are not concentrating on the actual issues here,” he said. Meaning it, I could tell.  
“I don’t. You are perfectly right,” I nodded, meant it, too.  
“… too overwhelming?,” he tilted his head to the side.  
“HAH! Moved your neck!,” I pointed out with a grin.  
He… looked annoyed. And sighed, giving me a pointed glare.   
It was my turn to sigh: “… well. I… made a new human. You are a person that was not there before. We… the magic community knows it is possible. To do that. Possibly. And… familiars are incredibly important to each magic user, but… you aren’t usually… people,” I made a face, “Sorry about that, but… yeah, you aren’t actually people”  
My familiar took a deep breath. And then shrugged: “It’s not like I care much for other humans. And… well… you gave me life on this plain yourself. You are aware that my life here is actually bound to you on a physical level, too”  
“Stating the obvious,” I chuckled. Everyone knew that losing a familiar is like losing a part of yourself. Quite literally. One will never be quite the same without their familiar.   
I took a deep breath and combed through my hair, looking all the while into my familiars eyes. He was still himself. Just more eloquent. And sexier.   
… much sexier.  
It was kind of a problem. Especially with the shirtless-thing going on.  
My body decided to react to these thoughts exactly that moment. With making me blush.   
It was… embarrassing. And strange. So I sat up, no longer looking at him, but the wall.   
“Don’t you… like… want to put on a shirt?,” it was decent!  
He stared at me for a few seconds, opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again and rubbed his face. I could feel his annoyance, then he said: “I… don’t usually wear clothes. I… suppose I do have to start, with your ‘decency’ with you humans, but-,” there was more annoyance and he shrugged.  
“… you… don’t feel embarrassed about being basically naked,” except a cloth in strategic places.   
“Being in a human form is in some ways an embarrassment. Being half-naked? … less so”

… I could feel this might become a problem. For me. And exactly no one else. Damn.


	4. Chapter 4

He at least agreed to sitting and waiting until I found something… suitable.   
Which I didn’t, of course. I usually didn’t have hulking men in my rooms. Definitely none that left their clothes here. There were not even candidates for that.  
But I, too, sometimes felt like the world was a horrible place. So I owned a giant sweater. In dark blue. To emphasise on being sad. Emotions should not be suppressed!  
… and maybe it was just really comfy. And wool-y.   
Not that a frog would judge me for my taste in clothes.  
I looked back at him.   
Who was I kidding, he would judge me for absolutely everything. It was somehow less easy to ignore in human form.   
…

It was moments like these that basic spells did not completely escape my grasp and I could at least summon a pair of pants. Because those I was still missing.   
With a grown, I pull out a skirt, which claims that one size fits all and come back.   
I don’T see asymmetric faces all too often, but I had a feeling this would change now, since he once again had exactly one eyebrow raised when I came back.  
“… come on, I don’t have anything else,” he stared at both articles of clothing. Not making a move to take either of them.  
Then he said: “Why don’T you just give me a wizard robe, they resize”  
“But you aren’t a wizard! It would give awa-,” I stopped myself. Right. Right. He… knew about magic and… really, nothing bad would happen if someone mistook him for a wizard. Especially not with my robe, since I was only a student.  
He continued to sit there, self-satisfied as he was.   
Maybe he would be a pain.  
…  
I barely even had him in this form for half an hour and was thinking too much. And now I was thinking about thinking too much.  
Great.   
I needed to get a grip.   
And I threw a robe on his head. It grew a few sizes - especially in length - when he grabbed at it.   
I turned around when he stood up.   
Of course he had no sense of decency regarding these things. Of course not.   
I still turned, and when I looked again, he stood, looking at his feet and doing experimental steps.  
“… I don’t think I should be able to stand like this,” but he did. And the experimental steps were just as successful. He walked in a circle… and squatted once, “… or walk. I’m a frog”  
“It would hardly be a healing spell if it made you unable to walk or stand, would it?,” I said. Trying to sound as confident as I possibly could.   
“… maybe you are right,” he huffed. And walked a bit more. They were careful steps, but it didn’t look unstable or difficult. He just concentrated.  
“I’m your witch, of course I am!,” I said, once again, boasting confidence I did not have.  
“Mmmh. I still don’t trust this… neck,” he gingerly touched it, under his hood. And then pulled his shoulders up again. Like a turtle.  
“But see, it’s the same as with the legs! It would not be there and usable to you, if it wasn’t perfectly safe!,” now there was a thing to work with!  
“That only works if the spell actually worked properly. And are we sure of that?,” he frowned at me.   
And I looked to the side, then pouted: “… at least your snark-ability has increased significantly, and that’s what counts for you, apparently”  
“Excuse you?,” and I was not sure why he looked offended now, “My snark-ability had always been top-notch. It’s not my problem that you couldn’t understand it properly”  
He looked so haughtily serious.  
I burst out laughing, sitting down on the floor from it, just laughing it out.   
And he walked towards me, my giggling self, and looked down on me, hands in pocket. And smiled, indulgently.   
I was still laughing.   
And he tapped me in the side, with a naked foot: “You feeling better?”  
The laughing finally calmed down to chuckles. And then took a deep breath: “You’re the one who’s life is turned upside down”  
And he shrugged, actually taking the shoulders down afterwards: “Ah, this isn’t my plain of existence. You have to deal. I’m just getting experiences here”  
“… that’s not exactly true. You die here, you die at home,” it was familiar-101.  
He closed one eye to look at me for one second, then sighed: “Well… yes. But you’ll take care of me. Rest easy, this isn’t great, but you freaking out isn’t helping anyone”  
I frowned.   
But there was not much to be done. He’s right.  
“You’re right”  
“I always am,” he nodded.  
“Then… I will just have to accept this for now,”   
And he squatted and petted my head, letting me calm down for a bit.   
When I almost slept in, he knocked against my forehead: “You still gotta inform your teachers as soon as you can grab one”  
And I curled into a ball: “Nooooooo”  
It wasn’t serious.   
At least I felt better.


End file.
